Chapter 14: An Act Rehearsed
Red lay back in his bed. All he could think about was Eric and how it was his fault his wife was in a coma. He didn't think that what he'd already done to his son was even close to being enough.
He was on the opposite side of the hospital from Eric and he didn't even know Eric was in the same hospital as him.
"He's in the last few stages of it and I'm afraid that there's nothing more we can do, he may have just a few days or maybe a week or two, who knows? I'm sorry but I don' think he has very long left to live!"
He could hear his doctor slowly walking towards his room. It reminded him of his visit to the hospital to see Kitty. Just then a very strange thing happened. An actual tear of sadness slid down his cheek. It certainly wasn't a show because no one around to watch. Not yet anyway.
You would think it to be a tear of sadness because he had just found out he didn't have long left to live. But although at most times he could be a very heartless, cold and even evil man, this time he cried a tear for his loving wife, whom he had spent most of his very precious and treasured moments with.
"I think we should move Eric out of here, if he finds out he's here I don't know what he'll do!" came the voice of Laurie, she had never been very bright.
Suddenly Red's sadness turned to extreme anger. Which he desperately tried to conceal as his doctor and Laurie entered the room.
"Ahh, I see you're awake!" his doctor commented.
Laurie had a bad feeling he had heard what she had just said. But fooled by an act that was so very well rehearsed by a crazed ridden Red, she passed it off as just a mindless thought. But again how foolish she really was!
Meanwhile back on the other side of the hospital Eric was hanging out with Hyde and Donna.
"I can't believe you made a card, especially one like this..." Eric said picking up the card given by Hyde, which lay on his bedside table.
"Well, I was gonna go for the dark dead guys and skeletons kind of card, but Donna made me do this. Plus I thought it might cheer you up"
"How did you get everybody in the school to sign my card? I didn't know I was that popular!"
"Easy, when everyone heard what had happened..."
"What, everyone knows?" Eric interrupted.
"Yer the faculty announced it to the whole school, everyone's really worried about you, man"
"I know, I just like people to treat me normally, I don't want any special treatment"
"We'll tell em that then" Donna exclaimed.
"Sure" he said under his breath.
For a moment Hyde and Donna could see an expression on Eric's face that you could so easily look through. A kind of distant look, as even though he was sat there with them, he seemed so far, far away...
"Hyde, you don't still feel guilty, do ya?" Eric asked soon after.
"Erm...no"
"C'mon Hyde you were in a fit before, punching the wall with ya fists, I thought he was gonna break his hand!" Donna said before Hyde had a chance to stop her.
Just then there was a light tapping at Eric's door and he knew who it was before they opened it. It was Mrs. Brumewood; Eric knew it was her by her quiet knocking at his door.
"Hello...Donna, Hyde, Eric, what are you all chatting about?"
"Nothing much" Hyde said and then he walked over to the door. "I'm gonna get a soda, anyone want one?" he said, seemingly anxious to get out of there!
After everyone had begun shaking his or her head emphasizing a no, Hyde disappeared from the doorway.
"What's up with him?" Donna asked confused.
Mrs. Brumewood brushed off what she had just said and changed the subject.
"Err, Donna, I have that essay you wrote and as you're spending all your time here I'd like to go over it with you, Can you step out side with me?"
"We don't need to go out side, Eric doesn't mind listening to us, do ya Eric?"
Eric shook his head in reply.
"I'd just rather we did" Mrs. Brumewood replied trying to act like she wasn't trying to tell her something serious, which she was failing miserably at.
"Ok"
When they got outside Eric's room, Mrs. Brumewood glanced down the hospital hallway before beginning.
"Donna, this isn't about your work, it's about Hyde"
Donna looked at her confused.
"What about Hyde?"
"Well, he isn't as happy as he seemed, I saw him the other day, he was very frustrated, and angry, I think he's feeling very guilty about not doing anything to help Eric, you know, about his father..."
"Guilty, why, what could he have done?"
"Exactly, but he doesn't think that, I told him that he probably shouldn't show Eric that he's angry at himself as not to put him in another anger filled environment. But it's just an act, there's a lot of that kind of thing going on, people putting an act on to bury the truth!" she paused.
"...I'm worried about him, will you see that he doesn't do anything stupid?"
Donna still looked puzzled, but concerned at the same time, as she nodded her head.
"I know you're trying to look after Eric as well, but if you could, just make sure he's ok!"
Donna nodded again, tugging at a strand of her long red hair.
"Well say goodbye to Eric for me" Mrs. Brumewood said before leaving.
Eric could feel hands gripped around his neck, it felt so real. It always felt so real. He squirmed around in his sleep.
Looking up he saw Red hovering over him. The hands wrapped around his throat were squeezing tighter and tighter by the second. He found that he couldn't breath.
"Wake Up, wake up..." he told himself.
His legs sprang up and caught Red in the stomach. He let out a startled cry and curled over onto the floor.
Eric jumped up from off the bed and ran out the door. He found that in this dream he was able to run away. But that never happened. It couldn't be a dream. It was real!
He could feel a cramp writhing up his leg as he raced down the dark, empty corridors. He breathed heavily. He could hear faint but quick footsteps coming down the corridor he was running from.
He glanced around. Why was there no one there? Suddenly He noticed an open door. As the footsteps grew louder he dived into the room, silently shut the door shut and threw himself under a nearby bed! He tried control his breathing and rubbed at his abused throat. It felt sore and he felt slightly light headed, not to mention queasy.
"Stay calm, stay clam or he'll get you, just stay calm,..." he told himself in a whisper.
But he could hear faster and more thunderous footsteps hurtling towards the room in which he was hiding! He tried to plead with his heart to stop beating for just a few seconds to avoid Red hearing it's pounding at his chest.
Had Red tried to kill him? He'd never tried to kill him before! Why would he start now.
He could now hear slower more silenced foot steps approaching the room. An eerie squeaking came from the door as it creaked open and somebody walked into the room. All that was visible to Eric was two bare feet almost covered by a large hospital gown.
He shut his eyes. He couldn't face him. He was down right scared. He laid under the bed pulling himself closer into the center of it, in hope of not being seen.
He could hear slow raspy breathing coming from somewhere above. He gulped. The breathing seemed to stop and everywhere became quiet. Too quiet.
After a few moment he opened one eye. He could hear nothing but the sound of his own heart banging against his chest. What had become of this teenager who had once been the confident young man, just longing to go out with his friends after finishing his chores? Who was this boy who now lay trembling with fear under a hospital bed, in a dark empty room? Had he changed that much. It would seem so.
A shadowy hand could be seen lowering towards the ground, behind the fallen bed sheet which hid this boys eyes from sight. But those eyes could no longer be hidden and the bed sheet finally unmasked him. Two angry eyes now stared back at him. A shrilling scream echoed through the whole hospital...
Well this is chapter 14, hope you found it interesting! And Thanx so much for all your reviews, especially from jenben, who is my story's no.1 fan and gives me great advice! I wanna be a filmmaker; I think I'll take film studies at college. Anyway again, Thanx, cya, luv, Cesca, x
Red lay back in his bed. All he could think about was Eric and how it was his fault his wife was in a coma. He didn't think that what he'd already done to his son was even close to being enough.
He was on the opposite side of the hospital from Eric and he didn't even know Eric was in the same hospital as him.
"He's in the last few stages of it and I'm afraid that there's nothing more we can do, he may have just a few days or maybe a week or two, who knows? I'm sorry but I don' think he has very long left to live!"
He could hear his doctor slowly walking towards his room. It reminded him of his visit to the hospital to see Kitty. Just then a very strange thing happened. An actual tear of sadness slid down his cheek. It certainly wasn't a show because no one around to watch. Not yet anyway.
You would think it to be a tear of sadness because he had just found out he didn't have long left to live. But although at most times he could be a very heartless, cold and even evil man, this time he cried a tear for his loving wife, whom he had spent most of his very precious and treasured moments with.
"I think we should move Eric out of here, if he finds out he's here I don't know what he'll do!" came the voice of Laurie, she had never been very bright.
Suddenly Red's sadness turned to extreme anger. Which he desperately tried to conceal as his doctor and Laurie entered the room.
"Ahh, I see you're awake!" his doctor commented.
Laurie had a bad feeling he had heard what she had just said. But fooled by an act that was so very well rehearsed by a crazed ridden Red, she passed it off as just a mindless thought. But again how foolish she really was!
Meanwhile back on the other side of the hospital Eric was hanging out with Hyde and Donna.
"I can't believe you made a card, especially one like this..." Eric said picking up the card given by Hyde, which lay on his bedside table.
"Well, I was gonna go for the dark dead guys and skeletons kind of card, but Donna made me do this. Plus I thought it might cheer you up"
"How did you get everybody in the school to sign my card? I didn't know I was that popular!"
"Easy, when everyone heard what had happened..."
"What, everyone knows?" Eric interrupted.
"Yer the faculty announced it to the whole school, everyone's really worried about you, man"
"I know, I just like people to treat me normally, I don't want any special treatment"
"We'll tell em that then" Donna exclaimed.
"Sure" he said under his breath.
For a moment Hyde and Donna could see an expression on Eric's face that you could so easily look through. A kind of distant look, as even though he was sat there with them, he seemed so far, far away...
"Hyde, you don't still feel guilty, do ya?" Eric asked soon after.
"Erm...no"
"C'mon Hyde you were in a fit before, punching the wall with ya fists, I thought he was gonna break his hand!" Donna said before Hyde had a chance to stop her.
Just then there was a light tapping at Eric's door and he knew who it was before they opened it. It was Mrs. Brumewood; Eric knew it was her by her quiet knocking at his door.
"Hello...Donna, Hyde, Eric, what are you all chatting about?"
"Nothing much" Hyde said and then he walked over to the door. "I'm gonna get a soda, anyone want one?" he said, seemingly anxious to get out of there!
After everyone had begun shaking his or her head emphasizing a no, Hyde disappeared from the doorway.
"What's up with him?" Donna asked confused.
Mrs. Brumewood brushed off what she had just said and changed the subject.
"Err, Donna, I have that essay you wrote and as you're spending all your time here I'd like to go over it with you, Can you step out side with me?"
"We don't need to go out side, Eric doesn't mind listening to us, do ya Eric?"
Eric shook his head in reply.
"I'd just rather we did" Mrs. Brumewood replied trying to act like she wasn't trying to tell her something serious, which she was failing miserably at.
"Ok"
When they got outside Eric's room, Mrs. Brumewood glanced down the hospital hallway before beginning.
"Donna, this isn't about your work, it's about Hyde"
Donna looked at her confused.
"What about Hyde?"
"Well, he isn't as happy as he seemed, I saw him the other day, he was very frustrated, and angry, I think he's feeling very guilty about not doing anything to help Eric, you know, about his father..."
"Guilty, why, what could he have done?"
"Exactly, but he doesn't think that, I told him that he probably shouldn't show Eric that he's angry at himself as not to put him in another anger filled environment. But it's just an act, there's a lot of that kind of thing going on, people putting an act on to bury the truth!" she paused.
"...I'm worried about him, will you see that he doesn't do anything stupid?"
Donna still looked puzzled, but concerned at the same time, as she nodded her head.
"I know you're trying to look after Eric as well, but if you could, just make sure he's ok!"
Donna nodded again, tugging at a strand of her long red hair.
"Well say goodbye to Eric for me" Mrs. Brumewood said before leaving.
Eric could feel hands gripped around his neck, it felt so real. It always felt so real. He squirmed around in his sleep.
Looking up he saw Red hovering over him. The hands wrapped around his throat were squeezing tighter and tighter by the second. He found that he couldn't breath.
"Wake Up, wake up..." he told himself.
His legs sprang up and caught Red in the stomach. He let out a startled cry and curled over onto the floor.
Eric jumped up from off the bed and ran out the door. He found that in this dream he was able to run away. But that never happened. It couldn't be a dream. It was real!
He could feel a cramp writhing up his leg as he raced down the dark, empty corridors. He breathed heavily. He could hear faint but quick footsteps coming down the corridor he was running from.
He glanced around. Why was there no one there? Suddenly He noticed an open door. As the footsteps grew louder he dived into the room, silently shut the door shut and threw himself under a nearby bed! He tried control his breathing and rubbed at his abused throat. It felt sore and he felt slightly light headed, not to mention queasy.
"Stay calm, stay clam or he'll get you, just stay calm,..." he told himself in a whisper.
But he could hear faster and more thunderous footsteps hurtling towards the room in which he was hiding! He tried to plead with his heart to stop beating for just a few seconds to avoid Red hearing it's pounding at his chest.
Had Red tried to kill him? He'd never tried to kill him before! Why would he start now.
He could now hear slower more silenced foot steps approaching the room. An eerie squeaking came from the door as it creaked open and somebody walked into the room. All that was visible to Eric was two bare feet almost covered by a large hospital gown.
He shut his eyes. He couldn't face him. He was down right scared. He laid under the bed pulling himself closer into the center of it, in hope of not being seen.
He could hear slow raspy breathing coming from somewhere above. He gulped. The breathing seemed to stop and everywhere became quiet. Too quiet.
After a few moment he opened one eye. He could hear nothing but the sound of his own heart banging against his chest. What had become of this teenager who had once been the confident young man, just longing to go out with his friends after finishing his chores? Who was this boy who now lay trembling with fear under a hospital bed, in a dark empty room? Had he changed that much. It would seem so.
A shadowy hand could be seen lowering towards the ground, behind the fallen bed sheet which hid this boys eyes from sight. But those eyes could no longer be hidden and the bed sheet finally unmasked him. Two angry eyes now stared back at him. A shrilling scream echoed through the whole hospital...
Well this is chapter 14, hope you found it interesting! And Thanx so much for all your reviews, especially from jenben, who is my story's no.1 fan and gives me great advice! I wanna be a filmmaker; I think I'll take film studies at college. Anyway again, Thanx, cya, luv, Cesca, x